Soccer is passion, anticipation, excitement, and fury put together to make a beautiful sport.
And despite being the world’s sport, we soccer fans deal with the critics of others more than one might anticipate.
Some call it a “Fairy’s” sport, while others label it as a group of men running after a ball in a field. Ahem, I’m hinting at the U.S. sports fans here!
But it was in a recent sporting event at the local school that I took such a remark rather sternly from a fan of another sport.
And as I skipped on the courts of other sports and found myself at the soccer field cheering up the passionate kids there, I asked myself what about soccer really draws me in.
Why do billions of people sit glued to the T.V. screens every four years to see who the best in the world is? Or, why do riots break out between rival teams in soccer?
And many other similar questions flooded my mind. But to crisply sum it up, I wondered why soccer is fun!
So, I cracked my fingers and pulled out my laptop, and set out to put together tangible rationales to explain what makes soccer fun!
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Why is Soccer Fun?
Playing soccer is a skill easy and quick to learn but difficult to master!
And that’s unarguably the top reason that makes soccer a fun sport to watch and play alike. There are no complex rules or specialized equipment required like other sports.
Find yourself an empty field, pair up with a few friends, and now you’ve got a game to win. And what feels better than winning!
But that’s more like setting a picture for what’s about to come!
We all know the simplicity that engulfs the nature of soccer. So, I won’t dig any deeper into that. Instead, I’ve put together ten compelling reasons why soccer is a fun sport.
Both, in watching and playing. And why do fans divide themselves into different support groups but stand together under soccer’s banner?
But most importantly, I’ve uncovered the features of soccer that make it uniquely attractive for millions of people globally to play, watch, and be involved in the sporting universe of soccer!
A Beautiful Game: The Sport Itself
The beauty of soccer comes from how welcoming it is to everyone. You’ll see a short skinny kid go up against a guy with biceps the size of his head and still dribble across to score.
That’s something you won’t see as often in other sports like American football or basketball.
More than that, soccer almost always starts on the streets. You either hop on the field with a group of friends or team up with the kids on your street to have your first touch of the ball in a competitive game.
And if you’re not athletic or sporty at all by any standards, we still have the keeper’s spot open for newbies!
Soccer is welcoming to all and is not limited to a group of people just by their physique. And that’s what makes it the most beautiful and fun game to watch and play.
Competitive
Soccer is a competitive sport. But by nature, it’s not the traditional 1v1 setting that we see in many other sports.
On the contrary, a group of men teams up together to beat a team of others. They strategize, cooperate, and coordinate their moves to get the upper hand.
So, if a player deceives another by dribbling, he still has ten more players to beat before finding the net. And that makes it even more competitive as it is necessary to play the entire team instead of a single player.
The better a team’s chemistry, the harder it is to beat them. In return, this makes soccer fixtures even more competitive.
Since so many players are actively involved in the game, even the slightest error can lead to the opponent scoring a goal. And in some cases, losing a match.
This continuous urge to keep your head in the game because of the soaring competition gives soccer its fun factor.
Unpredictable
The unpredictability in soccer matches is the element that draws me into the sport the most. As the saying goes in soccer, a game is not finished until the referee blows his whistle.
And rightly so! There’s so much that can happen in the blink of an eye that turns the entire match around.
I’ll refer to my top unpredictable moment here first when Watford knocked out Leicester in the FLC semi-finals.
A penalty awarded to Leicester in the fixture’s dying seconds was to send Watford packing the bags. Leicester was already winning by an aggregate of away goals, and that was it.
But a monstrous save followed by a lightning counter and a miraculous finish by Deeney gave Watford the lead they needed to reach the finals!
Another similar example was from the 2014 Champions league final when Ramos thrashed the ball into Atletico’s goal with seconds left on the clock to equalize the game and later win it for Real Madrid.
Such unpredictable moments in soccer are what we live for!
Matchups and Events
The tournaments, leagues, events, and exciting fixtures are the most enthralling part of soccer.
The soccer world cup is the most-watched sporting event globally, and why not? 32 nations gather in a country when only one walks out as a champion!
But the streaming and thrill of soccer aren’t limited to the world cup alone. Soccer is also well known for its blood-thirsty clashes between rival clubs.
The Real Madrid vs. Barcelona El Clásico, Bayern Múnich vs. Dortmund, and Liverpool vs. Manchester City are all big enough events to shut entire cities down.
This is when every player pushes themselves to their absolute limit to showcase their best. Some soccer club rivalries are over a century old.
And so, it has become more of a tradition to put life on hold for the big games and enjoin the stream of fans in these exciting moments.
A Feeling of Belonging
Soccer gives us a feeling of belonging, as players and as fans!
When you join a soccer team as a kid, you meet new people and make some of your best friends on the pitch. You’re welcomed by the team, mentored by a coach, and supported by the fans of your team.
And somewhere down the line, when you become a fan of the sport, you attract a company that favors the same sporting idols and clubs as you.
The global soccer community is full of enthusiasts of all levels. Whether you’re just a beginner or a seasoned follower, you’ll find dozens of friends in your local club or the internet supporting the same team.
Playing a game with your best friends by your side or supporting your favorite team with thousands of others gives us a feeling of belonging in this world.
And that’s something very unique to soccer, and what makes it all the more fun!
Team Spirit
Soccer builds a team spirit among players like no other. A team with good chemistry will nearly always outplay a team with just great players.
This is evident from Real Madrid’s 2002-2006 Galácticos lineup, which had the best players but still couldn’t win a trophy over Barcelona, who had excellent chemistry.
Players of every position play together as a unit, knowing exactly when a winger will launch a run or when a player will cross the ball.
The defenders make sure the team doesn’t concede a goal, the midfielders make the play, and the strikers capitalize on opportunities.
These dedicated roles of players playing together in a team build a strong team spirit. That’s one reason why soccer players often become close friends with the players on their team.
Tactics and Strategies
Seemingly, soccer looks like a simple sport. The only rules are to not play with your hands or outside the field and score goals within the allotted time.
But when you start following the sport and learn the different strategies teams play, it becomes more exciting and enthralling.
A weak team with a good strategy will often beat a strong team with a bad strategy. This increases the unpredictability and competitiveness of the game.
So, it’s not just a game of players taking on their opponents to get a higher score. It is also a clash of managers and ideologies different teams might have.
The best example that comes to mind here is the tiki-taka by Guardiola’s Barcelona. The strategy was practically indomitable as they thrashed other teams one after another.
Watching teams change their strategies and develop new unstoppable ones is a spectacle and fun not to be missed!
Several Types
Soccer is also very inclusive of all players. It’s not only played on 100 yards fields but has various other forms to accommodate a quick and short game.
Futsal is a smaller version of the big game played by seven players on each side and is a much speedier game.
This has reached new levels of fame in recent years as many new enthusiasts find the fast-paced play even more exciting and polishing for their skills.
And if you’re caught in bad weather, you can still satisfy your tastebuds with indoor soccer matches. These too feature smaller teams and a shorter time.
The 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, and many other variations of soccer make it more fun and approachable for players globally.
Soccer is an adaptive sport, which contributes to why it is the most commonly played sport worldwide.
The Social Slant
The social climate of soccer is something that no other sport comes close to.
Wearing your team’s jersey to join the crowd in support of your team, getting new soccer shoes to showcase at your club, and booking season tickets are all the fun parts of following the sport.
Soccer’s limitless merchandise lets people join together under the same umbrella globally. The fact that it reaches the far corners of the Earth makes it a fan favorite outfit even on non-match days.
And if that isn’t enough for you to witness the social environment of soccer, just walk up to a bar on the day your city’s team plays a big game.
Even if you’re not a soccer fan, the cheers, joy, pain, and laughter will engulf you. Seeing others being so passionate about something drives the urge in every one of us to love the game!
Conclusion
From the big tournaments to joyful memories of watching a game with your friends and family, soccer bestows fun among its fans around the world.
Why we love the sport so much is still a mystery even to us.
Us followers can name a thousand things that make the game more fun and likable to us. But the above points should bring you to the crux of the argument.
Soccer is fun because it is simple, exciting, emotional, and inclusive!
Hi there, I’m Jay.
Soccer is everything in my life! My friends and I have created this blog with all our enthusiasm, passion, and understanding after years of playing pro soccer. Hope you will enjoy it!